The present invention generally relates to a picture processing technique capable of reproducing, stopping, and the like a moving picture. More specifically, the present invention is directed to such a picture recording/reproducing technique capable of stopping and reproducing moving pictures by employing scene changing points of these moving pictures.
While a user views a picture content such as a television program, when the user leaves halfway through the picture content for a moment, the user temporarily stops the reproducing operation of this picture content at such a timing which is judged by the user himself. Thereafter, when the reproducing operation is restarted, the user restarts the reproducing operation from the position where the user temporarily stopped the previous reproducing operation. In connection thereto, in such a case that the user temporarily has stopped a reproducing operation while a player of a content such as a movie and a drama is speaking her part, the user must manually return the content to a preceding scene as to the stopped scene and must restart to reproduce the content from this preceding scene in order to understand the contents of the player's part. Accordingly, the user must perform such a cumbersome operation.
To solve the above-explained problem, JP-A-2001-309294 discloses such a technical idea that a reproducing operation is returned to a head portion of the relevant scene by using a subtitle of a player's part so as to be restarted.
In the example disclosed in JP-A-2001-309294, when a user leaves halfway through a picture content, if the user instructs a temporal stopping operation, then a reproducing operation is temporarily stopped. Also, in such a case that the user restarts a reproducing operation, if the user instructs the reproducing operation, then a reproduction restarting position determining means determines a restarting position by checking as to whether or not a sub-picture signal containing a subtitle and the like. In the case that the subtitle is contained in the sub-picture signal when the reproducing operation is temporarily stopped, since a player speaks her parts, the reproduction restarting position determining means determines a reproduction restarting position at a head position of such a scene where the subtitle is present. On the other hand, in the case that the subtitle is not contained in the sub-picture signal when the reproducing operation is temporarily stopped, the reproduction restarting position determining means determines a reproduction restarting position at a position where the reproducing operation has been temporarily stopped. Alternatively, in such a case that a timer counts up a time duration during which a reproducing operation is temporarily stopped and then a first predetermined time has elapsed, the reproduction restarting position determining means determines a reproduction restarting position at a position where the reproducing operation is returned by a second predetermined time. As a consequence, in the case that the reproducing operation is temporarily stopped at the scene where the player's part of the subtitle is present, the reproducing operation can be restarted from the head position. Also, even in such a case that the subtitle is not present and the user leaves halfway through the picture content for a relatively long time, the user can readily understand the details of this picture content.
Furthermore, JP-A-9-107517 discloses a method capable of detecting a changing point of a moving picture. In this patent publication, such a reproduction stopping technique is described. That is, for instance, when a user pushes a stop button while a moving picture is reproduced, a judgment is made that a frame is designated by the user, and then, a changing portion (changing point) of cut scenes of the moving picture located in the vicinity of this designated frame is detected, so that the reproducing operation is stopped at this changing point.